The words “low-priced” and “insurance” really should not be used together, especially when you are looking for the best car insurance rates for college students. Let’s start off by going over some things that significantly impact insurance rates, and see if we can help you reduce the cost of the next policy you buy.
The type of vehicle to be insured is a large factor that determines whether or not you can buy the best auto insurance for college students. Vehicles with economical engines, a great safety record, or a positive history of liability claims will cost less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The data below ranks auto insurance rates for some of the most cost-effective automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $2,077 |
| Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $2,083 |
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $2,077 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport Islander Package 4WD 2-Dr | $2,279 |
| Toyota Prius | $2,293 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $2,311 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $2,317 |
| Ford F-150 XL Crew Cab 4WD | $2,341 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $2,432 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $2,440 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $2,464 |
| Toyota RAV4 4WD | $2,471 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $2,464 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $2,470 |
| Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 2WD | $2,495 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 4WD | $2,505 |
| Honda Civic EX 4-Dr Sedan | $2,587 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $2,620 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $2,626 |
| Toyota Camry XLE | $2,620 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Navigation | $2,626 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Regular Cab | $2,644 |
| Ford Fusion Sport 4-Dr Sedan | $2,650 |
| Get a Custom Quote Go | |
Above prices assume single male driver age 20, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Nebraska minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Premium amounts do not factor in specific garaging location which can raise or lower insurance rates noticeably.
Based upon the rates shown, we can assume that models like the Ford Escape, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, and Jeep Wrangler are most likely going to be a few of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for students in college. The price for car insurance will trend higher just due to the fact that there is more inherent risk for college students, but generally speaking those makes and models will have the best insurance prices that you are likely to find.
One of the many factors that help determine auto insurance rates is where you keep your car. More populated areas likely pay more, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents get the luxury of paying less.
The table below shows the most expensive areas in Nebraska for college students in which to purchase auto insurance. Lincoln makes the list at #24 with a yearly cost of $1,062 on average, which is approximately $89 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alliance | $1,354 |
| 2 | Scottsbluff | $1,320 |
| 3 | McCook | $1,318 |
| 4 | Gering | $1,303 |
| 5 | South Sioux City | $1,290 |
| 6 | Lexington | $1,277 |
| 7 | Beatrice | $1,272 |
| 8 | Omaha | $1,270 |
| 9 | North Platte | $1,250 |
| 10 | Blair | $1,236 |
| 11 | Crete | $1,234 |
| 12 | Nebraska City | $1,224 |
| 13 | York | $1,191 |
| 14 | Kearney | $1,188 |
| 15 | Hastings | $1,182 |
| 16 | Seward | $1,179 |
| 17 | Columbus | $1,174 |
| 18 | Bellevue | $1,155 |
| 19 | Fremont | $1,142 |
| 20 | Papillion | $1,140 |
| Find Cheaper Insurance Go | ||
Premium amounts are approximated as vehicle location can revise insurance rates substantially.
Deciding which companies have the lowest-priced insurance rates for college students involves a bit more effort in order to find the lowest price.
Each auto insurance company has a different process to establish rates, so let’s look at the rankings for the overall cheapest insurance companies in Lincoln. It’s a good idea to be aware that Nebraska insurance rates are influenced by many factors that control the price you pay. Getting older, moving across town, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can trigger rate changes resulting in some companies being more affordable than before.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for College Students
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safeco | $812 |
| 2 | The Hartford | $873 |
| 3 | Auto-Owners | $923 |
| 4 | Allied | $939 |
| 5 | Farmers Mutual of Nebraska | $989 |
| 6 | Nationwide | $997 |
| 7 | Farm Bureau Mutual | $1,010 |
| 8 | State Farm | $1,033 |
| 9 | American National | $1,054 |
| 10 | General Casualty | $1,114 |
| 11 | USAA | $1,162 |
| 12 | MetLife | $1,280 |
| 13 | American Family | $1,296 |
| 14 | California Casualty | $1,309 |
| 15 | Iowa Mutual | $1,347 |
| 16 | EMC | $1,354 |
| 17 | GEICO | $1,362 |
| 18 | Progressive | $1,445 |
| 19 | Farmers | $1,634 |
| 20 | North Star | $1,642 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
Safeco quotes some of the best car insurance rates in Lincoln at around $812 each year. This is $504 less than the average price paid by Nebraska drivers of $1,316. The Hartford, Auto-Owners, Allied, and Farmers Mutual of Nebraska also make the cut as some of the most economical Lincoln, NE car insurance companies.
As shown above, if you are currently insured with Allied and switched to The Hartford, you could see annual savings of about $66. Policyholders with Farmers Mutual of Nebraska might save as much as $116 a year, and Nationwide customers might lower prices by up to $124 a year.
To compare your rates to other Nebraska insurance companies, click here to start a quote or quote prices from the following companies.
Be aware that those policy rates are averaged for all drivers and vehicles in Nebraska and are not factoring in an exact location for college students. So the auto insurance company that can offer you the best price may not even be in the top 24 companies in the list above. That is why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own individual information.
Ending up with the right car insurance provider can be a challenge considering how many companies there are in Lincoln. The ranking information displayed below can help you select which companies you want to consider when looking for cheaper rates.
The rankings below are for companies with a national presence, so companies with more of a regional focus will not be included in the list. To get rate quotes from the most competitive companies in Nebraska, follow this link.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 99 | 100 | 90 | 92% | A++ | 97.4 |
| 21st Century | 89 | 86 | 100 | 88% | A | 92.7 |
| GEICO | 97 | 91 | 88 | 85% | A++ | 92.5 |
| Nationwide | 88 | 94 | 91 | 88% | A+ | 91.3 |
| AAA Insurance | 93 | 87 | 88 | 87% | A | 90.8 |
| Liberty Mutual | 91 | 91 | 92 | 87% | A | 90.7 |
| Safeco Insurance | 90 | 93 | 88 | 86% | A | 90.2 |
| State Farm | 91 | 94 | 80 | 88% | A++ | 90.2 |
| Travelers | 89 | 91 | 94 | 79% | A++ | 90.1 |
| American Family | 88 | 92 | 83 | 88% | A | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 90 | 90 | 84 | 85% | A+ | 89.1 |
| Progressive | 83 | 85 | 99 | 87% | A+ | 88.7 |
| The Hartford | 87 | 89 | 84 | 87% | A+ | 88 |
| Esurance | 84 | 88 | 85 | 83% | A+ | 86 |
| Farmers Insurance | 79 | 88 | 84 | 87% | A | 84.7 |
| The General | 88 | 80 | 85 | 80% | A- | 84.5 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
The information below demonstrates how deductibles can raise or lower insurance prices when quoting cheap insurance for college students. The rate quotes are based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, and no other discounts are factored in.
In the chart above, a 40-year-old driver could cut expenses by $236 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $358 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the 20-year-old, could shave $602 or more by choosing a larger deductible amount. If you make the decision to raise deductibles, it will now be necessary to have additional funds squirreled away to allow you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one shortcoming of high deductibles.
Full coverage rates compared to liability-only
Finding cheaper insurance should be important to the majority of drivers, and an easy way to pay lower rates for insurance for college students is to not insure for full coverage. The illustration below shows the comparison of insurance premiums with and without full coverage. The data is based on no claims or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.
If we average the cost for ages 20 through 70, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs $1,263 per year more than just insuring for liability. That is a large expense and it proposes the question when is it a good idea to stop buying full coverage. There isn’t a written rule to stop paying for physical damage coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are some situations where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good plan. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not buy liability only.